Houston Dynamo to host the Philadelphia Union for MLS First Kick 2011, Transfer Rumor & Other News and Notes

MLS announced the first match for every team today and the Houston Dynamo will host second year club Philadelphia Union Saturday March 19th at 7:30PM at Robertson Stadium. The match will be the second time the Union visit Robertson Stadium. The Union took the match at Robertson last year on a stoppage time goal by rookie Danny Mwanga to win 3-2.

The Dynamo will trot out a very different lineup in 2011 against Union as five of the 14 players who played for the Dynamo are sure not to be in uniform on opening day for the club. The Union got better last year as the season went on but have been fairly quiet in the offseason. Sebastian Le Toux will look to have a good start to follow up his stellar 2010 and Mwanga should be front and center with the exit of Alejandro Moreno.

Seattle Sounders will host the L.A. Galaxy on Tuesday March 15th in a rematch of the Western Conference semi-final to open the season. Vancouver Whitecaps will host fellow Canadian club Toronto F.C. in the first ever MLS match between two Canadian teams. Reigning champs Colorado Rapids will host the expansion Portland Timbers to open the club’s MLS tenure.

Here is a list of matches for 2011 opening weekend:

Tuesday, March 15

Seattle Sounders FC vs. LA Galaxy, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)

Saturday, March 19

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC, time TBD

D.C. United vs. Columbus Crew, 6:30 p.m.

New York Red Bulls vs. Seattle Sounders FC, 6:30 p.m.

Houston Dynamo vs. Philadelphia Union, 7:30 p.m.

FC Dallas vs. Chicago Fire, 7:30 p.m.

Colorado Rapids vs. Portland Timbers, 8 p.m.

Chivas USA vs. Sporting Kansas City, 9:30 p.m.

San Jose Earthquakes vs. Real Salt Lake, 9:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 20

LA Galaxy vs. New England Revolution, 8 p.m.

Dynamo rumored to be after David Suazo

Glenn Davis tweeted last night that the Dynamo are reportedly going after David Suazo. My initial feelings on this are a little mixed. Is this just a rumor to show that the Dynamo are active and after top names or is there real substance here? Like the Gio Dos Santos interest, I wonder how much is real and how much is fabricated (by agents, teams and players). I think Suazo is exactly what the Dynamo need and he was one of the first names I thought of when I heard the club would chase a DP. He is not a “star” in Europe right now but would be elite in MLS. Will it turn out positive? Not sure but it seems like someone wants everyone to know the Dynamo are fishing in the big boy pond. Good for them.

January USMNT camp: Who should be included?

The January USMNT camp list will be published today. The camp will include primarily MLS and Scandinavian based players who can come to camp for a month. Upon conclusion of the camp the USMNT team will play Chile at the Home Depot Center in Carson, CA. With that said, who should Bob Bradley and company invite to the camp?

The camp is always a mixture of veterans who enjoyed a good MLS season, young guys getting experience and feel for the team and overseas players who are out of season. MLS players will dominate the roster as this is Bradley’s chance to identify players from the league in an extended setting. So here is who I think should get an invite to the camp:

Rimando and Hartman were the best two keepers in MLS in my opinion this year. Both players deserve another chance to make an impression on Bradley and it could very well be there last. Hesmer is a guy who has been on the fringe of making the team and will get a nice long camp to show what he has to the coaches. Hamid is a young guy who has a bright future. If it was possible I would give this spot to Zach MacMath of Maryland but I do not believe he can because of school.

Gonzalez, Ream, Opara and Franklin are all young MLS players who seem to have bright futures. Ream and Gonzalez have already broken into the national team side and Opara is a physical specimen who combines power and pace like few in the U.S. pool does. I have Convey as a left back on this list because I was very impressed with him there and he can really get some playing time. Pearce and Freeman are solid players who have international experience and have shown well. Two names not on the list include Clarence Goodson (Brondby) and Gale Agbossumonde (who is heading for a trial with Djurgardens) was left off due to them moving to new clubs or going on trial. Also we could see Geoff Cameron at center back some.

Diskerud made one heck of a cameo in South Africa and flashed the skill and potential everyone is excited about. Rogers, Feilhaber, Bedoya, Gaven and Torres are known quantities. I am very excited to see what McCarty, Cameron and Larentowicz can do in an extended camp. Cameron’s position may be up in the air, does he play the wing, central or even defense, but he is certainly a talented young player. Shea and Warner the young guys of the group.

It is time for a youth movement at forward and Bunbury’s and Agudelo’s recent form is the best example of that. With Bradley moving to the one striker system it will be interesting to see what type of striker he chooses but four of these guys can play as either a target or an off the ball striker with Wondolowski being the exception and he may see time on the wing. Bunbury and Agudelo would be the talk of the camp and get most of the focus and rightfully so. Those two players have impressed ever since their names were put on the South Africa roster.

There is my prediction. Any thoughts? Who on this list do you think does not go? Who should be on the list? We should find out the official list soon.

Charlie Davies does not play in tight 1-1 draw

Charlie Davies return will have to wait for another day as Sochaux coach Francis Gillot decided to leave the returning American on the bench in a close 1-1 draw with Bordeaux today. While Davies did not return it was an exciting match that saw a linesman get injured, constant attacking soccer and some interesting no-calls from the ref.

Even though the U.S. international was not used today, it was still a step in the right direction for him to be included on the bench. Even more impressive was the massive show of support for Davies from the crowd. There were several CD9 (stands for Charlie Davies and his kit number) signs in the stands. So in the end we will have wait a little longer for Davies return but it is encouraging to know he is getting closer.

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